Police are examining a stolen car found near the home of a teenage girl who was raped and repeatedly stabbed yesterday.
The car was taken from Howick hours before an unknown intruder attacked the 14-year-old girl at her family home in north Manurewa, between 1am and 3am.
Detective Senior SergeantSue Schwalger, heading a 16-strong squad investigating what police regard as a particularly savage attack, urged whoever stole the car to come forward to help with inquiries.
It was too soon to tell whether the car, which was found in a creek, may be linked to be attack, but it was being forensically examined. She said the police needed to talk to the thief before eliminating that person from the investigation.
The Vietnamese girl was stabbed seven times about her body before being dragged outside and thrown over a fence down a 3m drop into a reserve behind her home. She was to be transferred from Middlemore Hospital to Starship children's hospital this afternoon.
The creek the car was retrieved from was in the same reserve, where the injured girl lay for several hours before her mother heard her cries and was able to find her.
Ms Schwalger said the girl remained traumatised, and the police were waiting for doctors to determine when she would be ready to be interviewed - either today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile the police are appealing for information from anyone who may know the attacker from clothing believed to have been saturated with blood.
"There is a large amount of blood at the scene of the attack and one would think there would also be a large amount on his clothing," Ms Schwalger said.
"The seriousness of the attack does cause us concern - it was at the high end."
She said five people lived in the girl's house, and both her parents were speaking freely to the police, with help from an interpreter.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Papakura police station on 09 295 0200.
